Deep Blue (2003)

Deep Blue (2003). 1h 23m | G

“The beginning of this documentary is devoid of credits. We see dolphins swimming and leaping in the open water and sea birds diving directly into the ocean to snatch a fish. The narrator (Pierce Brosnan) says, u0026quot;This is a world of constant jeopardy, an endless cycle of birth, death, and renewal.u0026quot; Powerful waves crash into the rocky coast, where the sea lions return to give birth, but unwary seals become prey to predators (the black and white colored killer whales) in the shallows at high tide. Then again, the whales themselves risk being stranded there.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMore marine life is seen before the view shifts to the coral reefs, u0026quot;a narrow band of sun-fed life only found in the shallows of the tropical seas.u0026quot; The skeletons of coral polyps – the smallest and most fragile of organisms – form the reef. The darkness is feeding time for some; the night-feeders with built-in sensors have no need of light. Fascinating and colorful sea creatures abound further below the ocean surface, but unfortunately most are not identified. There are poisonous jellyfish and manta rays. Just before the halfway mark of the film the scene moves to the Arctic (polar bears) and also Antarctic (penguins). In the Antarctic the temperature is seventy degrees below zero (-70°F) and the winds exceed one hundred miles per hour. The penguins gather speed in the cold waters before jumping out and landing on sheet ice. Meanwhile in the far north the polar bears search for nesting seals hidden in ice caves situated just below the surface. Thirty-ton gray whales travel six thousand miles to feed in the polar seas. After six hours of jostling, killer whales separate one unfortunate gray calf from its mother and move in when it is thoroughly exhausted. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFrom the surface of the ocean we next enter a subterranean world, the deepest underwater area on the planet and where surface light does not penetrate. Seven miles deep (the Marianas Trench), it is a mystery world of perpetual night. It is a sparsely explored netherworld of odd life forms (again unidentified). The only light emanates from the undersea creatures themselves. Light is used as a lure to attract prey or as a decoy to confuse them. Poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas and boiling water spew forth in some areas. Yet, even near those settings some life forms exist. At filmu0026#39;s end we hear that there are only a few thousand blue whales left on earth. The blue whales are earthu0026#39;s largest creatures by far.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe narration is limited and the orchestral music appropriate. If you like nature documentaries, you will enjoy this one, although there are several lulls.”